BYU is one of the most historic programs in college football history. They are the last program in college football to win a national championship as a “non-power” team in 1984. They are the last program to have a Heisman Trophy winner as a “non-power” team. LaVell Edwards is one of the greatest football coaches to ever step on the gridiron at any level.
The list goes on and on.
Obviously, 1984 reigns supreme as the top season in BYU history, with a national championship trophy in the case. Every other BYU season is fighting for second place until BYU wins another national title.
Where does the 2025 season land? The Cougars finished 12-2, making the Big 12 Championship Game, and winning the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
For starters, it is automatically, at bare minimum, a top-five season in BYU history given that only five Cougar squads have reached 12 wins.
The first one of the 12-plus win seasons we can compare is 2001, the last time BYU won 12 games before now. A few items give 2025 the advantage over the 2001 squad. First, BYU actually won their bowl game this year. The 2001 team took a nose dive after starting 12-0. They allowed 72 points to Hawaii in the season finale loss and then lost the Liberty Bowl to Louisville by 18 points.
2025 was a better season than 2001, which makes the 2025 squad at worst, No. 4 all-time.
The next question is, which is the third-best season in BYU history? Most will say 1983. That team went 11-1 with their only loss coming in the opening weekend, by four points on the road to Baylor. After that, the Cougars rattled off 11 straight wins and finished the season by beating Missouri in the Holiday Bowl and being ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll.
The 2025 squad will very likely not jump from No. 12 to No. 7 or better in the final AP poll. Nor did they have an 11-game winning streak and they lost one more game than 1983’s team did.
However, there is still an argument that the 2025 squad is better. First, the strength of schedule. The 1983 team defeated two “power” teams in UCLA and Missouri. The 2025 squad beat a whopping ten power conference teams. Per Sports Reference, BYU’s Strength of Schedule in 2025 is the best in school history. So consider BYU having it’s toughest schedule in team history, while also going 12-2. That’s worth something.
Even with one more loss than the 1983 squad, the 2025 team won one more game with a much tougher schedule. BYU also earned three wins over ranked opponents in Utah, Arizona, and Georgia Tech.
Plus, the underlying storyline for the 2025 team is that they did all this with a true freshman quarterback who arrived on campus just a few months before the season started. That in of itself should carry some weight in this discussion.
Bear Bachmeier truly had a remarkable season, even when taking the fact that he is a teenager out of the equation. He started every game and hardly missed a single snap. He became the Big 12’s Offensive Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Considering that BYU played what might be considered the toughest schedule in team history, in a power conference, while making the conference title game, winning 12 games, all with a true freshman quarterback, this should be considered the third best season in BYU history after 1984 and 1996. And the best of Kalani Sitake’s 10 seasons at BYU thus far.